The name Mark Spivak has been synonymous with wine, spirits, food, restaurants and culinary travel for years. Honored for ‘excellence in wine criticism’ during his stint as wine writer for the Palm Beach Post, the award winning author and former Sommelier recently completed his first culinary thriller— “Friend of the Devil’, published by Black Opal Books in May 2016. Set in Palm Beach in 1990, the novel tells the story of American’s most famous chef, who sold his sold to the Devil for fame and fortune.

Journalist David Fox arrives in Palm Beach to interview the chef for a story on the restaurant’s silver jubilee. He quickly becomes involved with Chateau de la Mer’s hostess, unwittingly transforming himself into a romantic rival of Avenzano. The chef invites Fox to winter in Florida and write his authorized biography. David gradually becomes sucked into the restaurant’s vortex: shipments of cocaine coming up from the Caribbean; the Mafia connections and unexplained murder of the chef’s original partner; the chef’s ravenous ex-wives, swirling in the background like a hidden coven. As his lover plots the demise of the chef, Fox tries to sort out hallucination and reality while Avenzano treats him like a feline’s catnip-stuffed toy.

Here’s what they’re saying on Amazon:

A little Kitchen Confidential, a little Real Housewives of Palm Beach, and a little Faust.”

“Sex, drugs, and an upscale version of terducken called Bedouin stuffed poussin …this fast-paced existential drama has got something for everyone.”

This is not Mark’s first rodeo in the publishing world. His first book, Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History, tells the stories of twelve spirits that changed the world and created the cocktail culture. “It’s like sitting in a bar at closing time, listening to a good friend tell stories,” said one reviewer. “You never want it to end.”

He is also the author of Moonshine Nation; The Art of Creating Cornbread in a Bottle, hailed as the definitive book on moonshine in America. The book traces the history of corn whiskey going back to the Colonial period and the Whiskey Rebellion, and provides profiles of actual moonshiners Mark visited throughout the Appalachian South.

If you are a lover of food, wine and great thrillers, join us during a special Happy Hour at Meat Market Palm Beach

Tuesday, October 18th 6-8pm, when Friend of the Devil comes home to Palm Beach

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